Assumed: I don't link to the CCF

Submitted on Mon, 05/26/2014 - 07:08

If you arrived on this page via a link from elsewhere on this blog, you may think an error has occurred, that you would arrive at some post by the "Center for Consumer Freedom." But I long ago stopped linking to CCF, a liarly named lobbying front for Big Food based in Washington, D.C. and run by serial (and cereal) lobbyist Rick Berman, and, well, a link still seemed called for.

So I brought you to this, another post in my Assumptions series, in which I seek to definitively address some fact or circumstance that keeps coming up in my posts, so that I can just link, instead of engaging in another 200-word digression, every time it comes up. I'm prone to such digressions regardless, but it would be a digression to get into that.

CCF is a relentless, relentlessly funded bunch of taunts and bullies. I had experience with bullies when I was younger, and I never found comfort in my parents' advice to just ignore them. Their position was that attention just encouraged them, and though I take that point academically, it is very unsatisfying. More importantly, the practical fact is that ignoring CCF will most definitely not make it go away — powerful economic forces have too great a need for what it does.

Most anyone with a pro-health, pro-nutrition, pro-whole foods profile has been loath to speak truth to the loathsome, because only a twisted fool draws the attention of taunts and bullies, right? Perhaps that makes me the twisted fool in this scenario, phrasing that will no doubt delight CCF if it ever decides I'm gaining too much attention to be ignored any longer. But its masters of the mocking sneer need no help from me.

So if I'm going to point out its half-logical, idealogically driven drivel, why not link to it, for sake of proof if nothing else? That's a product of living in the gray world, as opposed to the black-and-white version CCF typically peddles. Just because I want to call it on its bullshit, doesn't mean I want to boost its web traffic, even by a little. Those who want to can find CCF easily enough without my making it easier.

A final point: Ordinarily, a legitimate voice wouldn't ordinarily speak so unkindly of another without providing evidence for the epithets. But linking to all the ways in which CCF has bullied, mocked, and dissembled would sent traffic to its archives, and you already know I don't want to do that. If you're of that bent, read CCF's stuff, and mine, and make your own call.

Speaker, coach, and more Michael is a wellbeing innovator and coach, as well as a recognized leader on food-addiction awareness. He melds his skills with an intense personal story that he shares with groups, individuals, and in his two books, "Fat Boy Thin Man" and "Sustainable You." Inquire about how he can transform your next meeting, conference, or wellness event.